Read Online Under the Mistletoe by Jill Shalvis - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Jill Shalvis
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gaze and stared at Ford and Tara. “Is this about you guys?”
Ford looked for the byline. Lucille Oldenburg . Nosy old bat.
Behind the stovetop, Tara had gone utterly still, her eyes horrified. “Are you kidding me?”
“Nope,” Mia said. “It’s all right here in black and white. Who’s Logan Perrish? Cuz it also says he spent two hours of his time graciously signing autographs—and bikinis—on the beach yesterday.”
Tara closed her eyes. “He’s my ex-husband.”
Mia turned to Ford. “You’re in competition with her ex-husband? For real?”
“It’s a joke.” He wondered if Jax would find him a good criminal defender after he killed Lucille.
Mia glanced at the paper thoughtfully. “Do you think you’re winning?” she asked Ford. “In the poll?”
“Pay no attention to that,” Tara said, pointing with her spatula. “I’m not seeing either of them.”
Mia looked at Ford.
Tara looked at him, too, sending him a silent plea to back her up. He refused to, on the grounds that… hell. He had no idea. But when he remained silent, Tara let out a noise that managed to perfectly convey what she thought of him. He was pretty sure he knew what that might be.
“So you’re not dating each other?” Mia asked Ford.
“No,” Tara said, answering for him.
“But if you’re not seeing each other, why were you kissing on the dock?”
“Do you prefer Swiss, mozzarella, or American cheese in your omelet?” Tara asked a bit desperately, turning to the refrigerator again.
“I don’t care.” Mia was still looking at Ford. “So have you two been… not seeing each other all this time? The past seventeen years?”
“No,” Tara said. “Yes. Wait a minute.” She pressed her fingertips to her eyes. “Can you rephrase the question?”
“Until about six months ago, Tara lived in Texas,” Ford told Mia. “And I lived here.”
“So you two were never together?” Mia asked. “Not even when… you know. When I was conceived?”
Ford drew in a deep breath. This part was going to suck. “We were seventeen,” he said.
Mia nodded. “Like me.”
Yes, and he wasn’t proud to say that he’d been far too experienced for his age. He’d lost his virginity two years prior, after being seduced by a sexy waitress who’d promised to rock his world. She had. For one entire glorious spring break, she’d rocked everything he had.
But Tara hadn’t been experienced. At all. He had no idea how, but she’d seen something in him that had inspired her trust. “We were too young for the kind of relationship that we found ourselves in,” he said carefully. Please read between the lines and never have sex .
Ever .
“Yeah,” Mia said quietly. “I figured I was an accident. A really big one.”
“No,” Tara said fiercely.
“It’s okay,” Mia said. “The whole giving-me-up thing was a dead giveaway.” She shrugged as she looked at a stricken Tara. “You needed to fix a mistake quick, so you gave me up. Easy enough.”
Christ, those eyes, Ford thought. The both of them were killing him. “It wasn’t easy,” he said, hoping to God that Mia believed him. “And it wasn’t about us giving you up to make things better for us. It was about making things right for you .”
Tara had turned to blindly face the window, completely ignoring what she was cooking.
Ford imagined she was feeling sick over the same thing. Heartbreaking to hear that the child they’d given up was thinking that it had been an easy fix. More heartbreak that she’d felt unwanted, even for a minute.
“I think I forgot to do the dishes this morning in the cottage,” Tara whispered. “I should go check.”
Ford would bet his last penny that she’d done every dish in the place and he stood to go to her, but, eyes glittering, mouth grim, she shook her head.
They’d been kids when she’d gotten pregnant. Stupid kids. That was no longer the case, and yet the situation was bringing back all the emotions from that
Ford looked for the byline. Lucille Oldenburg . Nosy old bat.
Behind the stovetop, Tara had gone utterly still, her eyes horrified. “Are you kidding me?”
“Nope,” Mia said. “It’s all right here in black and white. Who’s Logan Perrish? Cuz it also says he spent two hours of his time graciously signing autographs—and bikinis—on the beach yesterday.”
Tara closed her eyes. “He’s my ex-husband.”
Mia turned to Ford. “You’re in competition with her ex-husband? For real?”
“It’s a joke.” He wondered if Jax would find him a good criminal defender after he killed Lucille.
Mia glanced at the paper thoughtfully. “Do you think you’re winning?” she asked Ford. “In the poll?”
“Pay no attention to that,” Tara said, pointing with her spatula. “I’m not seeing either of them.”
Mia looked at Ford.
Tara looked at him, too, sending him a silent plea to back her up. He refused to, on the grounds that… hell. He had no idea. But when he remained silent, Tara let out a noise that managed to perfectly convey what she thought of him. He was pretty sure he knew what that might be.
“So you’re not dating each other?” Mia asked Ford.
“No,” Tara said, answering for him.
“But if you’re not seeing each other, why were you kissing on the dock?”
“Do you prefer Swiss, mozzarella, or American cheese in your omelet?” Tara asked a bit desperately, turning to the refrigerator again.
“I don’t care.” Mia was still looking at Ford. “So have you two been… not seeing each other all this time? The past seventeen years?”
“No,” Tara said. “Yes. Wait a minute.” She pressed her fingertips to her eyes. “Can you rephrase the question?”
“Until about six months ago, Tara lived in Texas,” Ford told Mia. “And I lived here.”
“So you two were never together?” Mia asked. “Not even when… you know. When I was conceived?”
Ford drew in a deep breath. This part was going to suck. “We were seventeen,” he said.
Mia nodded. “Like me.”
Yes, and he wasn’t proud to say that he’d been far too experienced for his age. He’d lost his virginity two years prior, after being seduced by a sexy waitress who’d promised to rock his world. She had. For one entire glorious spring break, she’d rocked everything he had.
But Tara hadn’t been experienced. At all. He had no idea how, but she’d seen something in him that had inspired her trust. “We were too young for the kind of relationship that we found ourselves in,” he said carefully. Please read between the lines and never have sex .
Ever .
“Yeah,” Mia said quietly. “I figured I was an accident. A really big one.”
“No,” Tara said fiercely.
“It’s okay,” Mia said. “The whole giving-me-up thing was a dead giveaway.” She shrugged as she looked at a stricken Tara. “You needed to fix a mistake quick, so you gave me up. Easy enough.”
Christ, those eyes, Ford thought. The both of them were killing him. “It wasn’t easy,” he said, hoping to God that Mia believed him. “And it wasn’t about us giving you up to make things better for us. It was about making things right for you .”
Tara had turned to blindly face the window, completely ignoring what she was cooking.
Ford imagined she was feeling sick over the same thing. Heartbreaking to hear that the child they’d given up was thinking that it had been an easy fix. More heartbreak that she’d felt unwanted, even for a minute.
“I think I forgot to do the dishes this morning in the cottage,” Tara whispered. “I should go check.”
Ford would bet his last penny that she’d done every dish in the place and he stood to go to her, but, eyes glittering, mouth grim, she shook her head.
They’d been kids when she’d gotten pregnant. Stupid kids. That was no longer the case, and yet the situation was bringing back all the emotions from that
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